Contagion 2020

[Hammy]

Mags isn't answering the question of PCR test accuracy.

Shteve, Drederick to go someway to answering our question, here was one of the studies from the BMJ:

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/371/bmj.m4848.full.pdf

From the Abstract:
"The rapid test kits most widely used in UK universities, schools, and care homes detect just 48.89% of covid-19 infections in asymptomatic people when compared with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, real world data from the Liverpool pilot have shown".

This was a study on the lateral flow tests which is different from the PCR tests. The 48.89% applies to that test compared against PCR. 

This was the published specificity for the PCR test.

"A false positive result occurred in two of 2981 PCR negative people—a specificity of 99.93% (99.76% to 99.99%)."

It's unlikely to be that high when running around 500,000 tests a day obviously but it's certainly not as low as 48.89%.

There was also some confusion earlier in the year as to whether the inventor of the PCR tests said that it is not suitable for detecting viruses.
Here's a link fact checking this from Reuters:  https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factc...SKBN24420X

It includes clarification of the PCR inventor's position below:

“PCR is intended to identify substances qualitatively, but by its very nature is unsuited for estimating numbers. Although there is a common misimpression that the viral load tests actually count the number of viruses in the blood, these tests cannot detect free, infectious viruses at all; they can only detect proteins that are believed, in some cases wrongly, to be unique to HIV. The tests can detect genetic sequences of viruses, but not viruses themselves.”

The article goes on to say:

Even if Mullis had voiced a similar statement before his death in 2019, this quote does not mean the PCR test is unable to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - rather that it cannot determine whether the individual tested is infectious.
The PCR test is the preferred COVID-19 testing method in England (tinyurl.com/u9xxxup). It detects the presence of the virus by amplifying the virus'genetic material to a point where it can be detected by scientists (tinyurl.com/y7rno7pf).

Mullis was a firm believer that HIV didn't cause Aids and his comments from this subject have been taken wildly out of context to support the narrative that the PCR tests cannot detect viruses or shouldn't be used for covid testing generally by people who believe this is all a hoax.